New managers will keep bowling alley's 1950s decor

RALEIGH -- The charm of Western Lanes has long resided in its worn-out wood, scuffed-up balls and -- of course -- the bar counter stripped bare by thousands of sliding Schlitz cans.

So when word leaked out about new management, renovations and stepped-up marketing at the Hillsborough Street landmark, purists let out a gasp. Rumors flew about electronic scoreboards and other mundane modern trappings.

But the new management -- a trio of 20-somethings from Raleigh -- want to preserve much of the treasured bowling alley's scruffy allure.

"We're kind of going after the casual bowler who might not be as picky about lane quality," said Blaine Smith, 28. "A face-lift inside is what we're going for."

So, the Brunswick Bowling crown emblems above the lanes will stay. Ditto for the turquoise and white benches and other trappings of the late 1950s -- which account for much of Western Lanes' decor.

One casualty, though, will be the Schlitz-scarred bar.

By her own reckoning, Theresa Fenner has flung about 200,000 cans down that yellow Formica in 25 years of bartending at Western Lanes, enough to carve a white streak down the middle.

She tells a customer Wednesday night, "All I've got is Schlitz, PBR, Icehouse, Miller ... "

And the customer answers back, "Anything but a Miller."

Too frou-frou for Western Lanes.

Still, the counter and kitchen equipment all date to roughly 1959, so the restaurant, which has served generations of N.C. State University students, will shut down today for an update. The lanes will stay open.

Smith said the mainstays -- Fenner and Cathy Richards, who has waited tables for more than 40 years, even when the restaurant was segregated and she was barred from eating there -- can stay when the place reopens. But whether they will is uncertain.

The only certainty is the counter's fate: Fenner will be taking it home once it is extracted. "I wrecked it," she said. "I ought to have it."

Everyone associated with Western Lanes knows the place's age translates to a priceless kitsch factor that draws people in.

Still, said partner Jimmy Poole, the alley wasn't profitable before they came on and might not survive without some changes.

So the carpeting -- frayed down to the concrete in spots and stained black in many others -- will be ripped out and replaced.

But the wooden lanes, the only ones of their kind in Raleigh, will stay, at least for now.

"They're about shot," said Don Sullivan, who can't recall exactly when he started working there, but knows it's been about 40 years. "You can't resurface them. There's not enough wood to resurface."

The place is hopelessly behind on many codes, too. Smith said compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act will be a priority because, right now, a person in a wheelchair can't reach the restrooms or restaurant.

But the casual lounge lizard or beer-can bowler will still appreciate the inside, Smith promises.

"I don't want it to be an everyday bowling alley," he said, noting his partners agree. "We all went to Broughton [High School]. I went to State and actually took the bowling class here when I was in college."

Smith said the new management hasn't bought Western yet and is still working on a deal. So much of the establishment's future is still up in the air.

But talk to Sullivan, who could probably gauge your bowling shoe size with a quick glance at your feet, and he'll explain the change is welcome. He looks forward to seeing Western as it was -- not a faded replica of the past, but a clean and shining place of fun.

You won't get a Schlitz slid your way anymore. But, everyone hopes, you still might sense the presence of long-gone bowlers who drank them.